True American Stories

A friend of mine was home for Christmas and went to see visit a high school friend of his, let's say Chris just to make things easier. Chris had become a mortgage broker. He gave my friend his business card and showed him some of his business associates' cards as well.

My friend noticed that Chris's business associates had their photos on their cards. Chris's business card, on the other hard, only showed a photo of a mansion.

Chris explained that, as a black man, it wasn't a good idea for him to put his photo on his business card. He said in their photos, however, his white associates seemed to be saying, "Hey, come on over, you can trust me!"

That reminds me of a conversation I had recently with an acquaintance who'd become a district attorney. I asked him if his work was at all like it's portrayed on Law and Order. He responded, "No, because white people actually get convicted on Law and Order."

Filed in: Culture